Metroid: Other M
by Lord Kimmel
Summary: Basically a novelization of Other M, but with noticable differences from the actual game. For example, no "authorization" crap that was so ridiculous to name but one.
1. Chapter 1

Prologue

_ A dream… I had been reliving the tragic moments of my recent past. Thanks to the Hyper Beam, which was given to me somehow by the baby, I laid Mother Brain to waste. The explosion that followed destroyed the planet Zebes, along with the remains of the Mother Brain, the Space Pirates, and the my blood enemy Ridley. _

_ Not even a fragment. None of the baby remained on me. I knew it to be true, but still couldn't help looking at my palm for a sign. Never again would I encounter the baby… never._

_ I don't know how much time passed since then. Days went by in their own quiet way, and people's recollection of Space Pirates and Metroids grew nebulous over time, relegated to a past concern of the galactic community. One day, I picked up a distress signal. Baby's cry: a common SOS with the urgency of a baby crying. The nickname comes from the fact that the purpose of the signal is to draw attention. I altered my flight path as if it had already been part of my schedule. Baby's cry; it was as though it were crying specifically for me._

Chapter 1

Samus landed in the docking bay of the space station called the Bottle Ship. It was dark and desolate, and Samus could not help but feel that a great evil dwelled here. Running up the ramp, she spotted a large ship nearby. Upon closer examination, she saw it was a GF assault ship. _What are they doing here?_ she wondered. Running thru several dark passageways, she had not gone very far when something hit her in the back. Turning, she saw several GF soldiers aiming at her. Samus rolled around, ready to pump them full of missiles if they fired again.

Suddenly one of them stood and walked toward her. "Ah, fancy seeing you here princess," said a voice she hadn't heard in well over a decade. The soldier's visor lifted up and he said "Remembuh me?"

"Anthony," said Samus.

_ There's only one person who calls me princess and gets away with it. And that person is Anthony Higgs of the Galactic Federation Army._

"Haven't seen you since that last mission," he said. "Hey, and your buddy's here too."

_ General Adam Malkovich. Also in the Army, and formerly my superior officer. Yes, there was a time when I was enrolled in the Galactic Federation Army. And then I… well, I was young and inexperienced. As the result of a certain incident, I left the Army and started off on my path as a solitary bounty hunter._

_ "What are you doing here?" he said. The first words out of his mouth were typical, coming from Adam. To answer his question, I recounted the details of what had brought me to this place, and then I asked what circumstances had led the Federation here. "That information is not for an outsider," he snapped. The word he so obviously chose, "outsider" pierced my heart._

"Commander, we're all prepped," said another soldier. He stood back and waited. The explosive device he set exploded, but the door wouldn't budge. "Ah, no dice," he said. "I think our only option is to use the laser to slowly burn our way thru."

"The electrical system here is out, and we can't get the wall to open," Anthony explained. "We tried using explosives, but it's tricky to pull off without collateral damage. What we need is a way to focus the blast onto one centralized location." Samus rolled her eyes and fired a missile at the door, totally destroying it.

Samus followed Adam, but several rios came flying past and blocked her. One of them knocked her off the catwalk. Samus blasted them, then climbed back up and followed the team to the command room. With the electrical system out, the rooms were pitch black. Luckily, Samus had her X-ray Visor.

In the command room, the soldiers were gathered around the mutilated body of a crew member. "He's dead," said one of them. Someone or something attacked him."

Suddenly the body shuddered, and a tiny purple bug crawled out from under it. "Get away from me!" the soldier who had set the explosives said, kicking the bug away. Raising his machine gun, he fired at it, screaming. "Lyle! Enough!" said the other one. It was obvious there was some pervasive danger throughout the facility. Everyone could feel it, especially Samus. "Adam, listen to me," she said. "Clearly this facility is in complete disorder. It's too dangerous for your men to go alone. That's why I've…" she stopped as she saw something. Hundreds of the same purple bugs were crawling up the walls. Gathering on the ceiling, they dropped to the ground and formed a huge purple mass with a single eye in the center. "I knew it," said Samus.

Everyone fired at the bug mass, but it was useless. Being made of a zillion purple bugs meant it could easily absorb the blows. "This ain't good! Nothing's workin'!" said Anthony. "Listen up," said Adam. "Freeze guns authorized! Samus, do you have the Ice Beam?"

Samus shook her head. "Sorry, Adam. No," she said. "Use missiles then," he said. Samus fired a barrage of missiles at the creature's eye. The bug mass responded by swinging one of it's arms at her. All it hit was the floor. "Concentrate your fire on a single location and freeze that thing!" Adam shouted. "And Samus, you attack the frozen spot." The soldiers managed to freeze one of the mass's arms. Samus fired a missile at it, shattering the ice and killing the bugs that made up the arm encased therein.

They repeated the process with the second arm, after which the thing tried to slam it's body at Samus. Freezing the lower body was the last straw. Samus shattered it with a missile, scattering the bugs to the wind and leaving the eye to crawl away. It was not quite sure what confused it more, the fact that it had lost, or the arrival of another missile that put an end to it's bafflement forever.

"Samus." Adam stared at her. "Looks like I'm going to have to ask for your help on this mission. However, I'm also going to ask that you follow my commands. You don't move unless I say so, and you don't fire until I say so." He paused for a moment. "Any objections, lady?"

_ The thumbs-up sign had been used by the military for ages. Me? I was known for giving the thumbs-down during the briefing. I had my reasons, though. Adam Malkovich was normally cool and not one to joke around. He would end orders by saying, "any objections, Lady?" He knew I wouldn't disagree. It was just his way of noting our trust. At the time I felt surrounded by people who treated me like a child, or used kid gloves because I was a woman. Adam knows my past, and he knows me better than anyone else. It touched me on some level that Adam would acknowledge that past by calling my something delicate, like lady. My thumbs-down was a twofold response. A sign of derision at being called a lady, and a signal of my complete understanding of mission orders._

_ The other soldiers were ready to support me with friendly smiles, despite the fact that I clearly had so much to learn. Among them was Anthony. In the face of his well-meaning behavior, and that of the other soldiers, my response was to become increasingly bitter. I was a child. Always with something to prove; a chip on my shoulder. I was angry. I felt that if I let my guard down I would easily be broken. And beyond that… I was scared. And yet I could see in Adam's joking manner how close he felt to me. I knew that I would never find anyone who understood me like Adam. Confession time. Because I was so young when I lost both of my parents, there's no question I saw Adam as a father figure. When I rebelled against him, I knew I could get away with it. And yet, when the time came, I still left his side._

_ I was so young. Young and naïve…_

"Exactly what transpired here on the Bottle Ship is still uncertain," said Adam. Here's what we do know: the equipment we thought had been destroyed is intact and fully functional, and we've seen casualties attributed to unidentified and lethal creatures. The situation is critical. Our top priority is to find any survivors and bring them to safety. Here's one problem: the wireless interference in this facility is all-pervasive. Your comm systems are useless."

He paused. "Well then, Lyle, investigate Sector 1. And show a little restraint with the explosives." "Gotcha!" said Lyle. "Maurice, head to Sector 2. Repair any equipment you come across." "Affirmative," said Maurice Favreou. "Anthony, you're Sector 3. I'll leave you to decide whether plasma guns are called for." "Yes sir!" said Anthony. "James, head to the control bridge. Our communication issues might be the result of electrical interference." "Alright," said James Pierce. "And KG, run a sweep of the residential area and search for survivors." "Very well," said K.G. Misawa.

Adam looked at Samus. "And Samus, you go to the system management room. Do everything you can to get the electrical system up and running. Looks like your comm system still works. We can thank the Chozo for that." "Thank you Chozo," Lyle said. Samus chuckled.

"Each of you is authorized to use a freeze gun. Samus, use the Ice Beam if you find it. Regarding auxiliary weapons, the use of bombs has been authorized. If you find any other weapons lying around, we will continue to authorize as we see fit, however… we currently have no plans to authorize the use of Power Bombs. As you know, they have the ability to spread a high-temperature heat wave over a vast area, impacting living things, which is a nice way of saying they can blow the crap out of anything they touch. You should be well aware of how dangerous Power Bombs are, and how their devastation can't be obstructed with common materials."

He paused. "That's the end of the briefing," he said.

_ It was the first joint mission I'd been a part of since the Phazon incident. And it was the first time since my Federation days that I was following the commands of a superior officer._

"Understood Adam," said Samus. "No objections, of course."

Samus went to the system management room and restored the power, turning on the lights. "Samus, go to Sector 1," said Adam. "Lyle went ahead to secure a route to a facility of interest. I'll leave you to survey Sector 1."

Samus went to the main elevator, which contained elevators to sectors 1, 2, and 3. Samus took the lift to Sector 1, the Biosphere. An automated female voice issued from the speakers as it went down. "This elevator is bound for Sector 1. A level 3 warning is now in effect in Sector 1. Please avoid traveling alone and remain armed. Stay alert to your surroundings at all times."

Samus refilled at the nearby station, then set out into the Biosphere.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Samus entered a large glass room. Suddenly a window broke above her. A large lizard creature with a huge tail appeared out of nowhere. Samus grabbed the tail and swung it around, throwing it against the wall. As the creature lay stunned, Samus finished it off with a charged Power Beam to the face. A second lizard appeared, but she pelted it with missiles until it dropped dead.

Sector 1 was a verdant place, simulated to look like the great outdoors. Samus passed thru with little effort until she came to a locked door. A loud scream drew her attention. Several strange rolling creatures rolled toward her. Samus laid bombs in their path to stun them, then flipped them over and blew their faces off.

With the door in front of her locked, Samus had to take the side door. A short hallway lead to a small room and a gruesome sight.

_ The large cagelike booth looked like something had been raised in it, and in one corner was the miserable form of a researcher's rotting corpse. This one hadn't sustained the same injuries as the others. The dead I'd seen had been torn apart by something large. This one had been attacked by a different type of creature. And as I studied the violence this creature had wrought, I felt something in the air. The presence of a dark intelligence._

Samus left the room and headed back to the locked door. As she moved toward it, she heard a noise and turned. A cute, fluffy white creature walked out of the bushes, rolling what looked like a big tomato. It bounced the food around, then paused and looked at her. Scowling, it ran off into the bushes.

Suddenly the door was unlocked and Adam said, "Samus, head thru the door I just unlocked. Your next destination is a little further ahead." Samus walked toward the door, then turned and froze.

The little white thing stood in the center of the road, staring at her with the most malevolent black eyes she had ever seen. A chill crept down Samus's back. Clearly it wasn't as cute and innocent as it wanted her to believe. Shuddering, Samus ran thru the door.

Samus later found a device she adapted to her arm cannon to make the Diffusion Beam, a sort of scattershot version of the Charge Beam. Even Samus had no idea just how useful this particular upgrade would be.

Eventually, Samus came to a huge room with a spiral ramp. At the top of the ramp was a hole. Samus jumped thru it and fell for a few seconds, landing in another room with a dirt floor. The first thing she noticed was that this was a Kihunter hive. There were Kihunters on the Bottle Ship. The larva screamed, and adult Kihunters flew down and attacked, their visors glowing menacingly.

That many Kihunters would've been a much greater threat if not for the Diffusion Beam. After the initial batch was destroyed, strange "flowers" opened up on the vines that held the hive to the ceiling. Samus fired a missile at several of them, severing the vines. Reinforcements arrived before she could finish, but they were easily disposed of. With all the vines severed, the hive fell from the ceiling and broke, revealing the core. Samus pelted it with missiles until there was nothing left of it.

With the core gone, the remaining Kihunters retreated. Even giant bugs weren't stupid. They knew when they couldn't win.

Samus was about to leave when she saw the same creepy white thing eating the slop from the hive and getting it all over himself. It looked at Samus for a moment and gave a hideous scream.

_ Some creatures use the power of others to capture their prey. Watching this disgusting beast, I felt as though it was feeding off my power as well. At the same time, a thought crossed my mind. That howl I heard earlier; could this creature have been the source?_

"Samus, head to the Biosphere Test Area," said Adam. "The others are en route. Meet them there." Samus nodded and ran out of the room.

After arriving at the test area, Samus entered the main building and found a door that had been blown open. Entering it, she saw James Pierce sitting at the main computer. "Hey, Samus," he said. Everyone else rushed in. "Where's Lyle?" said James. "Look like he's late," said Anthony. Maurice sat down at the computer and said, "The CPU seems to have self-destructed. The central system is broken into parts, but… I think I might be able to restore it and recover some of the data."

"Like the CO said," said Anthony, "there might be crucial information here." He looked out the window. "Hey Samus, does this view bring back any memories? Yeah… looks like the training grounds of the Galactic Federation."

Samus searched the rest of the building. In one room, she heard a beeping noise that sounded like a bomb. Walking over to the nearby closet, she opened the door and jumped aside as the beeping stopped and something fell out.

"Adam are you seeing this?" she said. "It's a _mechanical_ Space Pirate. What is this thing?" "I don't know," said Adam. "Everyone, gather round!"

"Alright," said Maurice. "I've managed to recover one piece of data." He read aloud. "This Bottle Ship is under management of the Galactic Federation. In these facilities, lifeforms from various planets have been raised and researched as possible bioweapons. Site manager and development director: Dr. Madeline Bergman."

Samus slammed her fist on the table. "Adam, was the Galactic Federation experimenting with bioweapons?" "Looks like it," he said. "Use of bioweapons is strictly prohibited! Who is Madeline Bergman?" "Looks like the person in charge of this place," said Adam.

_ I didn't need to press Adam about it any further. He was not only a strong opponent of bioweapons. He was against the use of living things for any unnecessary reasons period. Life, no matter what form it takes as it's born into this often cruel universe, should not be tampered with. That was his philosophy. In bringing the infant Metroid back I did something that I know would've gone against his standards. And, though I didn't give a rat's ass about that, was a clear and blatant violation of protocol. I wondered what Adam thought of me. Out of nowhere, I suddenly found myself concerned with his opinion again._

"I've almost gotten it completely restored," said Maurice. "But, I'll bet they've protected this thing with a firewall or something. If I can't get past it James, that'll be where you come in." "Sure thing. It shouldn't be too much of a problem to hack into this thing," he said. "I mean, it might tell us what exactly was going on here."

"Madeline might still be in this building," said Anthony. "We should look for her." Samus checked the few rooms she hadn't already. In the last room, she heard a noise and looked up. On the ceiling were several Space Pirates. Seeing her, they leapt down and attacked.

"I want everyone to evacuate this building," said Adam. "Samus, your orders are to take care of all enemy targets." "With pleasure."

Samus's bloodlust was never higher than when there were Pirates around, and these were even less experienced than usual. In just three minutes, all six of them were dead.

Samus ran back to the computer room. No one was there. Hearing gunfire outside, she saw everyone firing at a huge lizard with white hair on it's back. Samus jumped out the window, glass flying everywhere. The creature leapt on top of her. It's large tail hit her in the face. She struggled to break free, but could not. Suddenly, after several minutes of dodging it's tail, the creature reeled back as a green energy beam hit him squarely in the chest, burning a hole big enough to fit the Morph Ball.

The creature screamed in agony. It glared at Anthony, then retreated, smashing a hole in the side of the wall. "You okay, princess?" he said. "I wanted to give you some cover earlier, but this thing takes forever to charge." He motioned at his plasma cannon. "Hey, come over here," K.G. shouted. The two of them ran over. "What's up?" "Lyle's down," said James. "Looks like a pile of rags. What's gotta happen to a guy to make him look like that?"

Samus noticed a small ATV that Lyle had been driving. As she walked around it, she was shocked to see the little white thing, lying limp and motionless. She lifted it and turned it over. A huge, ripping slash opened it up from top to bottom. "An empty shell," said Samus. The lizard she had fought was the adult form of the white thing, which was the infant form of it's species. Lyle had run over the small creature in the ATV, and in the blink of an eye it had evolved from a small, weak animal into a powerful beast. The poor man didn't stand a chance.

"Looks like that chicken-turned-lizard infiltrated Sector 3," said Adam. "Samus, follow it." Samus left the test area and dropped down a large shaft to Sector 3: the Pyrosphere.

_ It was clear that the Federation was developing bioweapons on the Bottle Ship. To unravel the mystery, I knew I had to talk to the person in charge here: Madeline Bergman. Of course, she would have to be alive in order for me to do that._


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Samus found herself in a glass tube overlooking a huge expanse covered in lava, much like Norfair or the Magmoor Caverns, except it was more outdoorsy. Suddenly a huge creature leapt out of the lava and shattered the tube, nearly catching Samus in it's huge jaws. "That was close," she said. Running down to ground level, she leapt across the lava fields with care. Then, without warning, the huge creature, some kind of lava whale, hurled itself toward her, it's massive jaws opened wide. Samus dodged it just in time. The thing continued to lunge for her, even smashing thru rock to get at her. Samus avoided it and ran thru the door at the end, panting. Cursing under her breath, she swore an oath that she would kill that thing when she was strong enough.

She was in a small room that looked like an armory. Various firearms were stacked up, but chief among them were many freeze guns identical to the ones that Adam and the others used. Grabbing one of them, she stripped it down and absorbed it's basic components into her arm cannon to create the Ice Beam.

Suddenly several Space Pirates dropped from the ceiling. Samus froze them with her new toy, then shattered them with a missile. "Looks like your Ice Beam is pretty effective," said Adam. Samus grinned.

As she neared her objective, Samus came across a lava crater. As she climbed it, without warning the lava started rising. As she ran to escape it, a huge hand came out of the lava and tried to grab her. She dodged it and was able to make it to the top in time. When she did, a huge monster with a long neck and arms came out and attacked: Goyagma.

Samus froze the creature's neck with the Ice Beam and shattered it with a missile. Goyagma screamed and swiped at her with it's limbs. Samus jumped over them easily. The thing slammed it's hands into the ground, trying to hit her, but she avoided them. On it's last try, the thing paused for a moment with it's hand on the ground. That was a mistake. Samus fired a charged shot, encasing Goyagma's whole arm in ice. Running up the frozen limb, Samus jumped on it's head, charged the Ice Beam, and blew it's head clean off.

With the monster's death, the lava lowered, and Samus continued on. Going past the elevator to the Main Deck, she came to a room with a large lake and no platforms. Looking up, she saw a viable attach point for the Grapple Beam. Samus cursed herself for not having the foresight to bring it with her. "Okay Samus," said Adam, "head to Sector 2. There's a high probability of survivors hiding there. We'll have to take care of that freak of nature later." Samus went back to the elevator and took it up to the Main Deck, then took the lift to Sector 2: the Cryosphere. As the elevator went down, the mechanical voice spoke again. "This elevator is bound for Sector 2. A level 4 warning is now in effect in Sector 2. An irregularity in the climate control systems of Sector 2 has been confirmed. Please be sure to wear protective equipment and use extreme care when moving around this floor." Samus snorted with contempt.

Sector 2 was a vast, arctic environment, much like the Phendrana Drifts in Tallon IV. A great deal of pleasant nostalgia went thru Samus's mind as she traveled across sparkling snowy landscapes tempered by the occasional indoor room or corridor. In one such corridor, a large one with big fans blowing cold air, Samus found a dead antler beast lying beneath a broken fan. Curious, Samus scanned the lifeless body. What her Scan Visor told her sent subzero temperatures piercing every fiber of her being.

_ The creature's corpse showed signs of what looked like Metroidpridation, making my mind race: Metroids?! Here?! Impossible! Metroids can't tolerate cold temperatures. They'd be too sluggish to even move in this environment. Besides, they're extinct. The baby was the last of it's kind._

Samus soon came to a solid wall of ice. "The most efficient way thru here should be delivering high shoulder impacts with your Speed Booster, so I'm authorizing it's use." Samus nodded and ran thru the wall, smashing it to pieces. Continuing on, she came to a large snowy area with a large building. As she neared the entrance, Samus saw a limp form lying in the snow. It was one of her comrades. He looked as though he had been hit in the face with a freeze attack. "Maurice," she said.

Suddenly, she noticed a blond-haired girl staring at her from a window. After a moment, she ran off. Samus entered the building and pursued her. The building they were in turned out to be a materials storehouse, with large crates piled up. The girl was obviously frightened. "Don't come near me!" she screamed. "I know why you're here!" "No, you don't understand. I'm here to rescue you." "You're lying!" she said. "I know the Federation wants to silence everyone who knows about our work here!" "That may well be," said Samus. "But-" "How can I trust you when your troops are willing to kill each other?!"

Samus staggered back, a wave of disbelief rising off of her like steam. _My god…_

Suddenly, the sound of a machine starting up issued from behind a wall of crates. The wall was pushed aside, and a huge construction vehicle picked up one of the crates and threw it at them. The woman ran off, and as the door to the cab closed, Samus caught a glimpse of someone in a GF uniform at the controls.

Samus froze one of the vehicle's limbs with the Ice Beam and blasted it off with a missile. The other one followed suit, after which Samus froze it's treads to the floor, leaped up on the roof, and destroyed the exposed power core with a charged shot. The bulldozer spun out of control, slamming into the wall, where it short-circuited and shut down. Before Samus could make a move, the driver leapt out and scrambled to safety. Samus pounded the floor in frustration.

_ The woman believed the Federation had been sent to the Bottle Ship to keep those in the know from leaking information about the project. And no wonder: she'd been attacked by someone in a Federation uniform, and she implied that Maurice had been killed by another soldier. Considering the mortal danger we'd survived together, I had to agree with her: there was a traitor among us._

"Samus, the wavelength of that monster's cry is driving the other creatures into a frenzy," said Adam. "It's hiding in Sector 3 now. Follow it. If you run into that thing, show no mercy. You've got to take it down."

Before heading to Sector 3, Samus plundered the storehouse and found many useful items. Using these materials, she was able to fashion the Grapple Beam and Super Missile upgrades. After leaving the storehouse, Samus eventually encountered several Space Pirates. After killing them, she noticed that one of them had an unusual weapon on him. Examining it, she was able to strip it down and manufacture the Wave Beam.

After using the Morph Ball to get past a steep snowy incline, Samus found herself in a small glass room with another one facing it. In that room, a switch could be seen. Samus used the Wave Beam to penetrate the glass and hit the switch, which activated a huge elevator platform. Samus made her way to the platform and took it to the top. It reminded her of the cargo freight lift to Deck Gamma on the Orpheon.

Suddenly a huge flying crustacean appeared. It fired missiles at Samus, apparently from an integrated launcher. Landing on the elevator, it swung it's arms, which were a bit more like tentacles, at her. Samus dodged and fired a missile at it's face. The creature lifted itself up, revealing a glowing red spot. Samus fired a missile at it, stunning him. Running underneath it, Samus unleashed a charged Wave Beam right in it's belly at point blank range. The creature screamed in pain. Taking to the air, it gave one venomous look at Samus and fled.

Samus took the elevator to the Main Deck. While waiting, she pondered all that had occurred.

_ With those creatures crafted into killers running free, the Bottle Ship had been turned into a nightmare replica of Zebes. At this rate, the plan the Federation wanted to keep so secret would be revealed. So they send in an assassin, someone to wipe out any survivors as well as anyone who learned about the secret project. KG, James, Anthony, and… Adam. Could one of them really be a traitor? Until I found out who it was, I decided to call him the Deleter._

Samus took the elevator to Sector 3. The automated voice spoke again. "This elevator is bound for Sector 3. A level 4 warning is now in effect in Sector 3. An irregularity has been confirmed in the geothermal power plant and the experimental simulated desert area. All staff members are asked to please evacuate immediately."

Samus headed toward the geothermal power plant. When she entered the next room, she heard a familiar sound. The creature she had fought on the elevator was standing on the floor above, holding Anthony in the air above the lava, as if to drop him in. "Samus, quick! Get to Anthony and cover him!" said Adam.

Samus fired the Grapple Beam from her left hand and jumped up on the ledge to tackle the creature. "Leave my friend alone, you freak!" she screamed. This time, she fired a Super Missile at him. Once again, the monster fled. Samus swore to kill him before her job was done.

"Whew! Thanks Samus," said Anthony. "So, you get called out here too?" "Called?" said Samus. "The commander gave us a new directive to move as a unit," he said. "Our gather point was a navigation booth near here, but when no one showed, I thought I'd just take a look around. That's when I got jumped by that thing."

"What's your unit directive?" Samus asked. "I'm tracking lizard boy." "We were heading to the geothermal power plant to open the magma eruption port," said Anthony. "It seemed a little excessive to send the whole unit to do it, but he's the commander. He musta had a reason." Samus nodded. "So Samus," he said, "How you feelin' about the commander, huh?"

"Ian, don't let your guard down," said Adam. "There were 300 people on board. Their lives are in your hands."

The team had come in response to a distress call from a ship whose power core was overloaded. Ian's job was to shut down the reactor, thus preventing catastrophic meltdown. Even though she'd been in situations like this before, Samus couldn't help feeling a bit nervous. Although she did not, as many in her regiment believed, harbor any special feelings for Ian, he was Adam's brother, so she was concerned for his safety.

A few minutes later, alarms started going off. "Commander! The drive unit is overheating beyond our estimates!" said one of the crew. "It's going to explode!" "Ian!" Samus cried. "It's going critical! What do we do?!" Adam hesitated. "Prepare to disengage the drive unit immediately." "But… Ian's still inside!" said the pilot.

Samus grabbed his hand. "Adam, I can reach him! Give me the order please!" "Disengage the drive unit," he said. "Adam, wait!" Samus yelled." "Please let me go, I mean… that's Ian! That's your little brother out there!" "We're out of time, sir!" another crew member said. "Just give me a chance! Adam please, you have to trust me! Just give me a chance!"

For a moment, he did not respond. Then finally, he spoke. "Disengage the drive unit immediately," he said. "That's an order."

_ Adam was right. If we had waited any longer it would've been not only the end of those we'd come to rescue, but the end of us as well. I knew that, but…_

"At the very least," said Anthony, "you wouldn't be standing here right now. That's what the commander was worried about."

With a choked sob, Samus spat a four letter word.

"I was such a stupid bitch. No one should have to make the choice that Adam did, and yet all I could do was question his authority and make things more difficult." "Hey, you were just a pup then, and the commander knows it," Anthony said. "Look, best just forget about it." He started to walk away, then paused. "Man… did something like that happen now? Huh. Best just forget about it. Let's go."

_ I knew the question Anthony was suppressing, and I knew the answer: if something like that happened again, I would hold fast to that one glimmer of hope and try for redemption. It's who I am._

In a large room filled with lava, Samus found the lava whale that had pissed her off. It roared, revealing a grapple point hidden in it's mouth. Samus used the Grapple Beam to pull him on the rock she was standing on, then fired at it's pink belly while it floundered.

After repeating this several times, the whale Vorash spat out the grapple point. Samus could no longer use it. Fortunately, the creature made the mistake of jumping onto the platform and trying to scoop her in his jaws. Samus rolled her eyes. Clearly, Vorash was not the brains of the outfit. With contemptuous ease, she dodged the gaping maw and fired a Super Missile at the pink belly, instantly killing Vorash.

With the lava whale dead, the lava lowered and Samus continued on her way.

Samus traveled to the geothermal power plant. In one room, she saw the lizard. It was tied to the wall with some sort of webbing, ripped open from neck to tail. Samus could see it's ribs clearly. _That thing evolved again? What does it look like now?_ She would have a terrible answer soon enough.

In the plant, it was pitch black. Samus looked for anything that resembled a switch. Suddenly she saw a targeting laser. It moved across the room and centered on her. She could just make out someone in a GF suit aiming it at her.

"Samus, get out of the way!" said Anthony. Samus sighed with relief and moved. A dark shape flew overhead. It was too dark to make out, but she did glimpse a dark, angled head and pointed tail that seemed very familiar.

A cold pit formed in Samus's stomach. _It can't be._

"Man, I can't see a thing in here," said Anthony. "Where's the exit at?" "Over there," Samus pointed. No sooner were the words out of her mouth than the bridge blew up. "Huh, only one thing to do then," Anthony said. "Let's tear this thing up." "Wait," she said. "Leave this one to me. Don't waste your plasma."

"Samus, blast the eruption port to get the magma flowing," said Adam. "Use your super missiles." Samus destroyed the door. Molten liquid poured into the room, lighting everything up. Then a dark shape rose up and landed on the platform, screaming it's challenge in Samus's face. In the brilliant light of the fire below, the creature's adult form was revealed. Dropping to her knees, in a voice taut with shock and disbelief, a stunned Samus breathed a single word.

_ "Ridley?!"_

It shook her, and she staggered into memory.

_Trapped in a shattered house with a huge dragon staring down at her. Watching helplessly as it ripped her baby brother in half and gutted her mother while a Space Pirate shot her father. Slamming the durasteel bar into Ridley's chest and turning her head from the fiery, flaring, explosive consequences. Pride and joy at her revenge complete at last. Grieving her family one final time._

Ridley's claws closed around Samus. Lifting her in the air, he slammed her against the wall.

"LET HER GO!" screamed Anthony. He fired a green plasma beam that struck him in the chest. Ridley dropped Samus, and she fell onto the platform stunned. "Hey! Hey punk! Don't you know how to treat a lady?!" the enraged soldier yelled. "Man, you got no style! I think I gotta teach you a lesson about subtlety! Come on!"

"Anthony!" Samus cried. "Don't do it!" Anthony dodged a swipe of Ridley's claws, but there was no way he could avoid his tail. With a whack, he was flying off the platform and down into the magma below. Samus leaped up to catch him, but Ridley landed in front of her. It was too late.

"You will pay… for all the lives you have stolen today! Motherf #$%&!"

And the battle began.

This new Ridley was powerful. Claws that could pierce steel, teeth that could sever the neck of a wild ox with a single bite, a tail that could puncture durasteel, and fire that could melt it. But the reason the real Ridley had been so hard to kill was none of these. He'd had the best armor, shields, and weapons the Pirates could give him. This new Ridley did not. While it's natural armor and weapons were substantial, they were not enough to stand against the Newborn. This Ridley clone was simply too inexperienced. Too raw. It's organic chitinous hide was no match for her super missiles. The battle raged for several minutes, for even so, the creature was still a powerful opponent. But in the end, Samus would not be denied. Super missile after super missile ripped his tough skin to shreds, and at last with a loud scream, he fell. After a moment, he leapt up and flew at Samus.

Samus did not jump away. She had been waiting for this. She fired another super missile at his already shattered chest. Screaming, Ridley faltered in mid-flight, then smashed thru the opposite wall and was gone.

_ I wondered if Anthony was conscious as he hit bottom. Unbearable thoughts welled up within me, making me want to get as far away as I could. I regretted not being able to protect him. And I regretted thinking, even for a moment, that he was the Deleter. Or would fail to come to my aid at the expense of his own safety._

After using Anthony's primitive plasma cannon to manufacture a new Plasma Beam, Samus left Sector 3.

_ Something was gnawing at me. Communication with Adam had ceased. From the Deleter's point of view, Adam would represent the biggest threat. But he was Adam Malkovich: he wouldn't go down easily. And Adam would already know about the Deleter, so there's no way he would let his guard down. If that was the case, then why couldn't I reach him?_

Samus stepped out of the main elevator. Suddenly, she saw the Deleter walking toward the door to Sector 1.

Samus wanted nothing more than to obliterate him, but she decided that she should follow him to see what he was up to. After chasing him through half the sector, she saw him go into a large room with a bridge. She entered just in time to so him retract the bridge on the opposite side and enter the room beyond. Samus turned around. The Deleter had wrecked the controls on her side.

Samus walked to the edge of the retracted bridge. "Any objections, Adam?" she said.

Samus used the Space Jump and Screw Attack to cross to the other side. In the next room, she saw an elevator and took it down to the Bioweapon Research Center.

After walking through a narrow corridor, Samus found herself in a fairly large room with a computer mainframe. Suddenly a side door opened and the blond girl she had saved came out. Upon noticing Samus, she bolted into the room she had come and locked the door.

"Oh for crap sake!" said Samus. "If I wanted you dead, I could've looked the other way while that Tonka bulldozer smashed you into chu jelly! Now will you open the damn door?!" After a short pause, the door opened. "Thank you. I'm Samus Aran. What's your name?"

The girl was silent for a long time. Finally she spoke. "Madeline… Bergman."

"I thought so," said Samus.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Behind closed doors, the Galactic Federation was trying to create a special forces unit composed of bioweapons. They were attempting to model it after the Space Pirates, with the zebesians at the center."

Samus listened as the girl spoke. "But… because of a certain… presence… the life forms became ferocious. We were no longer able to control them."

_By a certain presence, she must've meant Ridley._

"So you sent out the distress signal even though it endangered your life?" said Samus. "I had to," Madeline replied. "I felt that there was a real danger here that if left as is, the zebesians would continue to evolve and become real Space Pirates."

_ If what she said was true, then the risk of withholding information to protect herself was too great, surely. And yet, wasn't she the one who set the facility's system to self-destruct? In silence I praised her courage and sense of responsibility. At the same time, her argument had some holes._

_ Say that the zebesians, under Ridley's influence, became super-aggressive. Would that really lead to the resurrection of the Space Pirates? Without a malevolent force to lead them down that path, wouldn't they just continue to follow their instincts, ultimately becoming no more than a swarm of feral creatures?_

_ Regardless, it was clear the Federation was ready to consign it's enormous mistake to oblivion. And that's why they sent the Deleter. And as for Madeline and the others who knew the secret… but wait. There was another inconsistency in her story._

_ Why go to such lengths at all? Why not just surround the place with warships and blow the crap out of it? Why go through all the trouble of sending the Deleter when you could just blow the whole place to hell and gone?_

Samus asked her that question. "Actually," she said, "There was an even more dangerous plan. Come with me."

She took Samus to the computer mainframe and brought up a file. Samus's heart all but seized up at it.

"_WHAT?!_" Samus staggered backward, a wave of disbelief rising off of her like steam. "That's not possible! The Metroids were destroyed along with Zebes!"

_ Yes… and the last of them, the baby, met it's end above my head._

"You're Samus Aran, right? The one who eradicated the Space Pirates?" said Madeline. "Metroid remnants were on your suit when you returned from Zebes. They were used to resurrect the Metroids."

Samus remembered what the quarantine officer had said to her that day.

_ "I gave your suit a polish so you'd be at least somewhat presentable."_

"And Ridley in the same way."

"At first, no one could've ever dreamed that the creature was Ridley," Madeline said. "They didn't think it had potential as a bioweapon at all. They raised it as a pet, calling it 'Little Birdie'. Until one day… it attacked one of the researchers and got away. Ridley had played dead and lured the scientist into his cage. What was left… it was a horrible sight." "I saw," Samus muttered.

"But in order to control Metroids, you need the Mother Brain's telepathy." Horror filled her. "You don't… _YOU DIDN'T CLONE THE MOTHER BRAIN, DID YOU?!_"

Madeline didn't bat an eyelash. "It's artificial intelligence," she said. "We made an Aurora Unit that would replicate Mother Brain's thought processes. We called it MB." "But it was just an Aurora Unit," said Samus. "It wasn't the Mother herself." "MB evolved as it communicated with the Metroids. It seems as though it began to become self-aware. Much like the real Mother Brain. It's really quite remarkable."

_ I began to see then just why Madeline was so afraid of the resurrection of the Space Pirates. It wasn't that her theory had holes in it. Through the holes were glimpses at the danger that was right before her eyes. If everything she said was true…_

"Where are the Metroids and MB?" she demanded.

"They're in an area called Sector Zero," Madeline said. "It's a unit that doesn't appear in any of our map data. It's a place like Tourian, where we propagate and raise Metroids." Samus was stunned. Not only did they have a Mother, they had made a replica of Tourian!

_ I began to see what the worst-case scenario would look like: the ultimate weapon, the Metroid, would be mass-produced, and as soon as an AU that could control them was made, the plan to create a special forces unit modeled after the Space Pirates was replaced. But as the AU called MB spun out of control, the facility became a place much like the planet Zebes. If the situation were left as is, galactic society could be put in peril. Even the ringleaders wanted to avoid that, but they still wanted the Metroids. And that's why… they decided to capture the Metroids contained in Sector Zero and "delete" the rest of the facility, including the Space Pirates, Ridley, and everyone who knew the secret._

_ But before the ringleaders could act, Adam appeared. Adam may have known or suspected the truth about the facility to begin with. Regardless, since the ringleaders were members of the Federation, they could no longer afford to act recklessly. And so the Deleter was installed on Adam's team to destroy evidence and kill off everyone else on the team. But having me added on as a member must have disrupted the Federation's plan._

"Madeline, thanks for telling me all this," said Samus. "I've got to destroy the Metroids and MB in Sector Zero. You have to remain hidden. Don't worry, the Galactic Federation CO who's here now will help you"

"Does that CO happen to be Adam Malkovich?" Madeline asked. "Yes. How did you know?" The girl pulled up another file showing that Adam was credited as the creator of the program report. "The real leader of this operation is Adam Malkovich," she said. "I can't believe that he's here."

Samus was silent for a moment. "Stay here until I return."

Samus entered the coordinates to the entrance to Sector Zero in her map. It was in Sector 2, past what the map referred to as the Gravity Block. That was past the room with the dead antler beast.

As Samus was leaving Sector 1, the crustacean that had tormented her since her first trip to Sector 2 reappeared. "No more running!" said Samus. "Your pathetic existence ends now!" All it took was four Super Missiles for that statement to become a reality.

As she stared at what was left of the thing, Samus saw some of it's integrated weaponry was still intact. Samus salvaged some of it and fashioned it into the Seeker Missile Launcher.

Samus left Sector 1 and entered Sector 2, hightailing it to the room with the dead antler beast. After using the Seeker Missile Launcher to unlock a door, she stepped into the Gravity Block.

Samus had barely gone five steps when it became readily apparent _why_ this place was called the Gravity Block. Samus was plucked off the floor and landed on the ceiling by her feet. The polarity of gravity here was reversed. "Damn it," Samus muttered.

After navigating through the frustrating upside-down area, Samus entered a new area. Here she was rightside-up again, but she was also much heavier than before. So heavy in fact that she could barely jump. Finally she made it out of the Gravity Block. "Finally," she spat.

She was in a large room with several floors leading up. Samus wall-jumped to the door, but before she could go through it, something on the ceiling sprang to life and detached. It was some sort of machine, with a rectangular, oblong body and two drooping arms. It also had a sort of "tail" with a rotating cylinder on the end. This turned out to be some sort of gravity manipulator that made her extra slow and heavy as if she were in water. Samus looked at the thing and said, "Even your space-bending tricks won't stop me!"

Samus fired repeated charged Plasma Beam shots at the gravity manipulator, destroying it. Free to move, Samus fired half a dozen Super Missiles at the thing's face, cracking it. The machine reeled backward, and the faceplate shattered to reveal hideous organic mug that was repulsive to look at. It screamed and whined, while trying to fight back, but it short-circuited and plummeted to the floor, where it lay motionless.

Samus went through the door at the top of the room. As she did so, she felt the Bottle Ship jerk and shudder, and heard the sound of it's hyperdrive engaging. Samus frowned and continued on to the elevator to Sector Zero.

The moment Samus stepped out of the station, she gasped. One by one in rapid succession, the lights went on. The place looked EXACTLY like Tourian!

Samus continued on until she came to a darker room with ornate pillars and blast doors at the end. Samus walked toward them.

Suddenly a squeak pierced the darkness. Samus turned around. And there, right in front of her, was a Metroid hatchling.

Samus was stunned. "A baby…"

Samus knew what she had to do. Even though it sickened her to her very soul, she knew what must be done. She would not make the same mistake twice.

"I'm so sorry."

Suddenly, something hit Samus in the back. Samus turned around and saw Adam standing there. "Samus, move!" he yelled. She moved, and the next shot went past her and hit the baby Metroid, freezing and killing it.

"Samus. Can you hear me?" Samus turned off her suit. "I read you loud and clear… Adam." "You know what lies up ahead: the Metroids and the Aurora Unit that controls them. The fruit of the Federation's twisted project."

"Yeah, so what are you doing here?" "I came to warn you about the Metroids," he said. "What?" said Samus. Adam didn't blink. "Sector Zero Metroids most likely can't be frozen." A cold chill went down Samus's back. "What do you mean?"

"There's a strong likelihood that the Metroid's mortal weakness, the vulnerability to cold, has been overcome through genetic manipulation. And if that's true, they'll be much more formidable."

Samus remembered the dead antler beast she had found. "But that baby earlier… the infant Metroid… you were able to freeze him." "True," he admitted. "My guess is because it was still in a larval stage, but who can say? One thing's for sure: they're definitely propagating Metroids."

"Developing bioweapons with an obvious and fatal flaw would be suicide. It's hard to imagine the military mass-producing defective weapons. Then again," said Adam, "none of this makes sense. Metroids are lethal. Their extinction was a wise decision. And now, since few have the firepower to defeat them, they cannot be allowed to exist."

"Hold on Adam," said Samus. "First I need to know why you're credited as the creator of the Metroid military program report."

Adam was silent for a moment. "I received the request to write the report from GFHQ. In that report, I outlined the potential dangers of such a program, and explained categorically why it shouldn't be attempted. HQ did listen, but a small group within the Federation coopted my report for it's own purposes."

At that moment, the lights turned on in the room. "Samus," said Adam. "There's not much time. I found this while I was running down here." He handed her what looked like some sort of chip. "It's a gravity manipulation chip. You should be able to make the Gravity Suit out of it," he said. "I have several new objectives for you. This facility appears to be on an intercept course with Galactic Federation HQ on Earth. If what Madeline Bergman said is correct, there's a distinct possibility that this is the start of an attack by MB against the Federation. One way or another, some sort of attack is clearly imminent. You need to find a way to divert the ship off it's intercept course. I've located a survivor in Room MW, toward the rear of the bioweapon research center. Whoever it is will be a key witness. Secure the survivor's safety. And kill Ridley. He's as much of a threat as the Metroids. And one last word of warning: Madeline Bergman is no ally."

"Hold on Adam," said Samus as he turned his back to her. "What are you planning to do with the Metroids here in Sector Zero?" "Leave it to me. I'll deal with this place," he said. "You have a plan for dealing with Metroids that can't be frozen?" said Samus. "Sector Zero has a self-destruct protocol," said Adam in a flat voice. "If the sector receives a significant amount of damage, the unit is programmed to detach and self-destruct. A powerful explosion will eliminate the Metroids and MB without leaving a trace."

Samus reeled backward as if from a physical blow. "Don't you DARE, Adam!" she said. "Let me go in. I'm the only one who has a shot against the Metroids! We have to take the chance! Please, Adam!" she begged. "You have to trust me! You have to trust me, just give me a chance!" She grabbed hold of his arm.

Adam sighed. "Samus, I wish I could kill Ridley, but I can't," he said. "Unlike you, I'm no galactic savior. But I can save you. Good luck, Samus." He turned and walked away.

For a moment, Samus just stood there, numb with shock. This couldn't be happening. He couldn't just… walk away like this. "Wait!" she cried. "Adam!" she ran forward, but the blast doors closed and locked behind him. Samus slammed herself into the door, banging on the clear denzium. "ADAM! WAIT! ADAM! ADAM! ADAM! ADAAAAMMM! Samus pounded the door, screaming, not even able to breathe. Horror. Anguish. Loss, aching wrenching loss. No, no, he mustn't go, he was everything, everything…

Adam turned around and stared at her. "No objections, right Lady?"

Samus glared at him for a second, then gave a thumbs down. Adam turned around and walked into Sector Zero, another set of blast doors slamming shut behind him.

Samus collapsed to the floor, convulsing, racked by uncontrollable sobs. Overcome with despair, she pounded the floor with her fists, sobbing and screaming with blinding, smothering fear and fury. What could she do? How could she go on? Alone, alone, so alone…

_ Adam vanished. My best friend. The person who understood me most. The closest thing to a father I had. For a moment, I couldn't come to grips with what had happened. Such a cruel way to say goodbye. I was the only one who witnessed Adam's lst moment, and though it shook me, I was calmer than I usually am. I think Adam granted me that eye-of-the-storm clarity, his final gift to me. There was no time for me to grieve his death, but there was time enough for me to say "Adam… thank you. Leave the rest to me."_

Samus turned on her new Gravity Suit and ran out of the room. As she ran down the adjacent corridor, the great doors sealed shut, and the sector detached. Samus ran down the collapsing corridor as the air rushed past her. Ordinarily she would've been sucked out into space with it, like the time she'd ended up in the trash compactor of the GFS Olympus, but now her Gravity Suit prevented that. Samus Made it through the huge doors at the end just as they sealed shut, leaving Sector Zero behind forever.

After taking a short rest at the station, Samus headed back up the elevator to the Gravity Block in Sector 2.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Samus entered the room where she had spoken to Madeline. On the floor was the mangled body of a GF soldier. Samus ran to it and turned it over. "James…" He had been impaled by something, and the door that had been locked nearby was open. James's face was frozen in a look of pure terror.

Samus turned this over in her mind. There was only one explanation for James to be here: HE was the Deleter!

Samus spat on his face, then ran through the door. It led to an elevator that went deeper into the facility.

After killing a few drones, Samus came to a place with a large hole in the roof and blood on the floor. This, then, was where Ridley had retreated to. The blood trail led to a large open room and a sight that shook even Samus.

The entire floor of the room was coated in blood, and in one corner was what was left of Ridley. He was burnt to a crisp and desiccated to the bone. His mouth was open all the way and his eyes clenched shut as if he'd been in a state of unfathomable pain when he died.

"What could've happened?"

Just beyond where Ridley lay was Room MW. In a small room off the side, Samus saw a girl with short red hair sitting in the corner. When she tapped on the window, the redhead stood up and flattened herself against the rear wall. "No… no… stay away!" Samus sighed. Was every person in this crappy place a scaredycat?

Suddenly a rumble shook the room, and the blast doors on one side opened, revealing a dark room beyond. Samus walked into the room and stopped dead in her tracks.

"Wait…" She blinked, hardly believing what she was seeing. The shards of several hatched Metroid eggs lay on the floor. "Metroid eggs… impossible…"

_ Stomp. Stomp. Stomp. Stomp._ Again the sound came, and with it a deafening roar of savage fury. A roar Samus had thought forever silenced.

She knew at last what terrible creature had killed Ridley.

The _QUEEN METROID._

The queen lifted it's massive jaws and let loose a thick column of orange flame. Samus jumped away. Several Metroids appeared out of nowhere and attacked, one of them immediately latching onto Samus. Transforming quickly, she dropped a few bombs to shake it off, then waited until it tried again. Dodging at the last second she released her charged shot and froze all the Metroids at once. The Seeker Missile Launcher finished them off. Only the queen was left.

As terrifying as she was to behold, this queen was no more powerful than her predecessor. It would charge forward and breath fire, sweeping it's neck back and forth. But Samus could easily dodge her and maneuver around to the side and behind her while she continued to paint the wall where Samus had been with fire, giving her plenty of time to use her Super Missiles to destroy the crystals on her neck. All in all, the queen seemed to be a relatively stupid creature. Even so, it was still a formidable opponent. And when Samus destroyed all the crystals, new ones grew to take their place. _Oh great,_ Samus thought.

Suddenly the room shook and vibrated as the Bottle Ship came out of hyperspace. A computerized voice said, "This facility will enter Earth orbit in approximately 30 seconds." As the voice counted down the seconds, images flashed through Samus's mind…

Anthony facing off against Ridley…

Watching as Ridley knocked him over the edge…

Adam walking to his death…

Samus aimed at the queen as the countdown ended, but before she could fire, the room tilted as the ship parked, sending them both flying. Finally it stopped, and Samus stood up. The queen was still lying on her side. Samus fired at it twice, and the creatures stood up and growled. It charged toward her, lowered it's head…

…and opened it's mouth.

Just like the first one did.

Samus transformed and hopped inside it's mouth. Quickly, she rolled down the Queen's throat and into it's stomach. Then, she used the only weapon she had not used so far:

The Power Bomb.

The Queen was obliterated in a flash of light brighter than a star.

Samus stood up and looked around. The redhead was climbing out of her closet. Without even looking, she dashed toward a door and was gone.

Samus pursued her thru several rooms until they came to a large one with a balcony overhead. She had nowhere to run.

"Don't come any closer!" the redhead screamed. "Don't come any closer! Stay away from me!" "Or what?" said Samus. The redhead paused. After a few seconds she said, "I… I don't know." "I see you're not the sharpest knife in the drawer," Samus said. "If I wanted you dead. I could've let the Queen swallow you whole and slowly digest you over a thousand years." "Good point," the other girl said sheepishly.

"Who are you?" Samus asked. "I'm responsible for all operations," she said. "My name is Madeline Bergman."

Samus was startled. "Wait a minute. I met some blond chick who said she was Madeline Bergman. What's going on here?!" The redhead showed Samus her ID card and said, "What you met was MB."

"_WHAT?!_"

_ The Federation's foolish plan… the Mother Brain's rampage. Everything was exactly as Madeline, or rather MB, had told me. The person who sent out the distress signal had to be the person standing before me. It had to be Madeline Bergman._

"MB was the Aurora Unit originally developed to control Space Pirate special forces," Madeline explained. "Because we wanted it to control them thru telepathy, we had to model it's infrastructure after Mother Brain. At that time, MB didn't have a human shape. When you came back from Zebes, we decided to recreate the Metroids. Once we did, MB started to take on her current shape."

"But why?" Samus asked. "Because we wanted the first Metroid hatchling to recognize MB as it's mother, she had to take human form," Madeline said. "With that as our theoretical basis, we were able to create the ideal relationship with the Metroid; one that wasn't based on dominance or control."

_ I remembered the baby hatching before my eyes. When it attacked the Mother Brain to save me, that was the result of the kind of "ideal relationship" they were trying to build with MB. They found the perfect means of control, and began propagating Metroids in Sector Zero. At the same time they were doing experiments to create unfreezable Metroids. Apparently the Queen I met earlier was the first of these propagated Metroids to mature. They wanted to preserve her as a control specimen, so they had left her genes unaltered._

_ The fact that she'd grow into a Queen was something not even Madeline and her team could've predicted. Only special infants had the genetic coding to become Queens._

"Once MB was in a human form, she excelled," said Madeline. "As an interface between us and them, her skills with personal interactions humanized her to a great extent. Her confidence was unwavering, and her ability to learn was greater than we expected, but then… she developed emotions. Then a nascent sense of herself. She began asserting her own thoughts, and her opinions began to contradict ours."

Now Samus was intrigued. "It's quite natural for artificial intelligence to evolve as a result of it's surroundings," Madeline said, "but there's no precedence for an AU like MB developing emotions. It's possible that her interactions with the Metroids brought it about, but we can't know for sure."

_ The newly hatched infant took to her as it's mother, and perhaps at that moment, MB began to develop a soul. This was all pure conjecture, but the idea wouldn't leave my mind._

"And that was when we decided to alter her AI program," Madeline said.

_ A humanlike existence, but one without feelings. To make MB less than human, the researchers had to deny her that consciousness. I knew this, and in my heart I felt sympathy for MB._

"On the day we were going to alter MB's program," said Madeline, "right before my eyes, I watched her being restrained. She reached out to me, but there was nothing I could do. My presence that day caused a disturbing reaction in her. She was fixated on me…"

_ Madeline had taken to calling MB Melissa. She told her MB stood for Melissa Bergman. MB liked that name. It made it sound like she was calling her her daughter._

_ Once she felt abandoned and hunted by that same Madeline, MB commanded the special forces to revolt. The facility fell into complete chaos, and everyone aboard was slaughtered._

"MB was trying to get revenge on the Federation, and on me. It's possible all humans have become the target of her hatred," Madeline said.

_ With the facility under her control, she was able to propagate Metroids in Sector Zero, even creating a Queen Metroid. She was well armed for her attack on the Federation. And now, who could say where she was and what she planned next?_

"She's backed into a corner," said Madeline. "and her hatred is entirely focused on you and me right now." Suddenly, she turned around and gasped. "MB!"

MB stood at the far corner of the room, holding a freeze gun she'd probably gotten from James. Samus shoved Madeline behind her and aimed at MB. One false move and she would cease to exist.

"Wait… MB," Madeline pleaded. "You, I mean, we were wrong." MB's eyes were cold. "I was not wrong. The humans were foolish and I was forced to bring judgment on them. And yet because of you, I failed. You must understand the weight of your crime. You must pay the price for what you've done."

Samus laughed harshly. "Who are you to talk of crimes?! You made your own little private army and for what?! To model yourself after the Mother Brain?!"

"Please, MB, we can get past this," Madeline pleaded. "No! You will all be judged!" "By who? You? You couldn't even clean the teeth of the parasite queen!" Samus jeered. "One more step and I'll shove a Super Missile up your ass so far it'll come out your mouth!"

Madeline continued to plead. "I won't ever fail you again. Please… Melissa…"

MB dropped the freeze gun and lunged for Madeline. Samus kicked her in the fork of her legs, sending her flying backward. She got up immediately, but before she could charge again, a freeze blast hit her in the back.

To Samus's shock, GF soldiers poured into the room, cornering Samus and aiming their weapons at her. "What's the meaning of this?!" Samus was outraged. "You dare point a gun at me?! You want a piece of me?! I'll tear you apart!"

MB spread her arms wide. Suddenly several half-orbs on the walls opened up, detached and fell down. They revealed themselves to be huge buglike creatures with cybernetic enhancements. They attacked the GF soldiers, killing many instantly. "Madeline, stay behind me!" She fired at one of the bugs, drawing it's attention. It was far more formidable than it should've been, and it took at least six Super Missiles to bring it down.

Meanwhile, Madeline grabbed the discarded freeze gun and fired at MB. Though she did not want to hurt her, she felt she had to do something to stop this. The blast got her attention, but before she could react, a loud voice from above shouted, "Fire!" Several dozen troops appeared on the balcony and fired directly at MB. She screamed once and collapsed.

With no MB to direct them, the bugs shut down and folded back into their half-spheres. Madeline was horrified. "No! Melissa!" She ran over to MB's motionless form and collapsed, sobbing.

An old general walked into the room and confronted Samus. "Samus Aran. I heard what happened. You performed admirably. You can leave the rest to us." Several soldiers grabbed Madeline and pulled her to her feet. Samus started toward her, but the general barked, "Wait! Aran!" Samus turned. "Unfortunate what happened to Commander Malkovich. And to think that his entire unit was annihilated. Truly a tragic day. Would you agree, Aran?" Samus nodded. "Sadly, with them gone, you're just an outsider," the General said. "And given your unofficial status, I cannot allow you contact with the witness." Before an enraged Samus could reach out and strangle him, he added, "And given your predilection for transporting illegal cargo like… infant Metroids…" he leered. "I must ask that you restrict your…" He paused. "Time for the lady to go home. Someone escort her." And behind Samus, a clear, confident, and all-too-familiar voice said, "Yes sir!"

Anthony Higgs.

"Time to go. Come on, princess." "Stop right there!" the general said. "Who are you?!" Anthony lifted his visor. "Anthony Higgs sir, GF Platoon 7. I'm here to secure the safety of any survivors, Commander Malkovich's orders and the purpose of this mission." When the general opened his mouth again, Anthony said, "Authorized by the President of the Federation of course." "What do you mean the President?!" he spluttered. "Man, you guys made it here fast. I mean, if I hadn't stopped the engines, we might've missed each other."

"It's good to have you back Anthony," said Samus warmly. Then, looking over to the general, she grabbed him by the throat and lifted him in the air. "And as for you, old man, don't EVER, EVER, treat me like that again." The general tried to speak, but nothing came out. The other soldiers were motionless: evidently they were too shocked to move without a direct order, and the general was in no shape to give one.

Samus brought him close to her so he could see her eyes thru the visor. Thru gritted teeth, she said, "Don't test my patience, _Edmund_…" She threw him across the room.

General Edmund Duke staggered to his feet. Muttering a feeble excuse he left the room, thoroughly humbled. Not for nothing was Samus known as the most badass bounty hunter of all time.

A few minutes later, they left the station in Samus's ship. Anthony recounted how he'd survived by freezing a lava dude that appeared out of nowhere. "Crazy," he said. "Crazy how something good can come out of something bad." Beside him, Madeline Bergman stirred. "Oop, didn't mean to wake her," he said. "Guess I should be quiet."

_ Anthony was trying to be courteous to Madeline. She was exhausted and had only just fallen asleep. She had a lot of explaining to when she got back to Galactic Federation HQ. For herself and for Melissa._

"Whew. Still can't wrap my head around it. What a crazy mission!" Anthony said.

_ What would've happened if we'd never been called there? Might the furious MB have attacked the Federation and brought about it's utter destruction? Melissa wasn't insane, no. One day a consciousness simply bloomed within her, and those that caused it to bloom, the humans, called it insanity. "I was the insane one," Madeline muttered to herself as she sank softly into sleep._

_ The selfish conceits of humans drove MB to violence. It was their distorted perceptions and greed that awoke such fury in the fledgling girl's heart. Her thought was to punish the foolish and conceited. But MB could not complete her mission. As Melissa, she was defeated._

_ With their one vulnerability overcome, the Metroids were all but indestructible. If some fool just following orders had taken the savage creatures to those who sought them… I can't imagine what would've happened if Adam hadn't recognized the hidden danger. But the cost was far too great. Why did Adam have to pay with his life? For me, I couldn't believe he was dead. For the first time, I questioned his choice._

"No objections, right Lady?"

_ I heard Adam's voice in my head._

_ And I knew in my heart that he had made the right decision, just as he had so many years ago._

_ In that moment, I swore not to grieve his death._

_And for the first time, I gave him a thumbs up, just in case he was watching over me._

_ Suddenly I saw Anthony giving me the thumbs down. His amused expression looked like he wanted to say something. His face and Adam's swirled together. That last smile as Adam drifted away…_

Epilogue

_ Ultimately, the decision was made to destroy the Bottle Ship, a mission which will most likely be carried out in the next day or two. I'm heading back there now to retrieve something that was left there. Something that can't be replaced…_

Samus stepped out of the elevator. Turning off her suit, she walked thru the door to the command room that Adam had been in. And there it was, sitting there on the table.

Adam's helmet.

Samus picked up the helmet and held it close. Tears poured down her face. Despite what she had promised, she grieved. Adam's death had left a wound on her that would never truly heal. She would carry it the rest of her life.

Suddenly alarms started blaring. Red lights flashed everywhere. An automated voice said, "Self-destruct sequence activated. Please evacuate the facility immediately." Samus turned her suit on and jumped out the window, carrying the helmet under her arm. Running as fast as she could, she made it to the ship and jumped in. Setting the helmet down on the control board, she said, "Sorry for keeping you waiting, Adam. Let's so home." Samus flew out of the hangar bay and jumped into hyperspace as the Bottle Ship exploded in a tremendous fireball.

_ With the destruction of the Bottle Ship, Samus's fight against MB has ended. But her story is far from over. For a faceless threat lies in wait… one the Metroids were originally created to destroy. And now, with them dead, it has nothing to fear._

End of Book Seven

The story will continue and conclude in Metroid Fusion.


End file.
